Author's Notes: I want to take a moment here to thank all of you who have read and reviewed this story—it's what keeps it going! I'll tell the truth, I love writing this story, and I'd probably continue it even if no one reviewed, but it sure does feel good to come home and see all these little reviews from readers who liked the story! Thanks again to everyone who's stuck with me so far, and all I can say is hang on, there's more where this came from! Now, on to the story!
Last time on It's a Start:
"Oh ho!" Babidi chortled from his make-shift throne. "Most excellent, most excellent! I commend you, Kai!"
*****
As the earth passed in a blur below them, she initiated a conversation. "So…how close are you two?"
*****
Gohan frowned. "Then, you know." Piccolo nodded grimly. "Well, no sense putting it off then, what's your take on the situation? It's—everyday we're apart…it feels like we'll never rejoin. But that's not what really worries me." He tilted his gaze to the tiled floor below him.
*****
The Saiyan didn't miss the implied, "Or else." As his other half abandoned him, he yelled out, "It was my choice!" More to assure himself, though. Now he was alone.
Chapter Eight: Things Fall Apart
Videl awoke rather early for a Saturday morning, having slept fitfully through the night, waking up every hour or so. Perhaps it was her eagerness at speaking with Gohan about the Cell video. Perhaps it was indigestion. Whatever the reason, she was quite awake now.
She shifted over and propped herself up on one arm, gazing at the alarm clock which sat quietly on her bedside table. "Just past 8… and I'm not supposed to meet him for another couple of hours…"
She tossed aside the covers and padded across the soft carpet to her closet, drawing out the white tank she trained in and slipping it on over a pink shirt. Videl doubted very much she could wait until the time the two had agreed upon the previous afternoon. Pulling on some shoes, she mulled over her options. She could call him, ask to meet earlier. 'Why?' he would ask. A blush crept across her cheeks at the imaginary conversation. No… it would seem forward if she asked that.
Her thoughts touched then on another possibility: she could go directly to the source, bypassing Gohan altogether. However, this solution seemed even more unthinkable than the last. What would Gohan think when he found out? An even more immediate concern: What would the Gold Fighter think if she just came waltzing into… wait, where did he live? How would she even find him?
This question might be a bit difficult to answer, but not impossible. She might not even have to let Gohan know of her intentions. She could see if Mrs. Br—Bulma knew. After all, that day on the highway, it had been to Capsule Corp that Gohan and the Gold Fighter had flown. Absentmindedly, she wondered just why they had needed to go there in the first place. Nothing had been wrong that she had seen.
She pushed the thought away and nodded to herself, shoving all worries about consequences and embarrassment from her mind. Curiosity was in control now, and she wasn't usually one to be easily put off with half-truths. She picked up a small pill from the bedside table: her capsule copter. Clutching it tightly, she dashed up to the roof, and within twenty minutes, she was re-capsuling the vehicle on the front lawn of the Briefs' home. It was actually the first time she'd made the trip without Gohan either with her or waiting for her. Without him, she felt like she had no business being at the building, and naturally felt a bit out of place. Hesitantly, she rang the front doorbell.
A sudden thought entered her panicked mind. 'What if they're asleep?!' But her finger had already brushed the buzzer, and she jerked it back as if electrocuted. Though she didn't really value other people's opinions of what was and wasn't proper from the social perspective, the faux-pas of rudely awakening the powerful Briefs family early on a weekend would have scarred her for life—they were more famous than her father, and that was saying something.
Thankfully for Videl, though, the woman who answered the door was not in pajamas. On the contrary, she looked as if she hadn't gotten any sleep all night. "…Mrs Briefs?" Videl hazarded.
She smiled sleepily, eyes halfway closed, and stifled a great yawn. "Hullo Videl. Please, come in…" She slowly stepped aside, allowing the girl to enter.
"I was wondering… if you knew…" A small snore sounded from behind her—the scientist was still standing at the door, ushering her in, eyes tightly shut. "Mrs. Briefs are…are you ok?" She gently laid a hand on the woman's shoulder, and Bulma shot awake, quickly looking around, then rubbed her eyes and shook her head to clear it.
"Sorry—I was up all night…working on a … on a project."
Making conversation to keep her hostess awake, Videl inquired, "I take it that it didn't go well?"
Bulma sighed and looked longingly at the cushiony chairs in the lounge. "No…and I think that it may be beyond my scope to handle." She rubbed her eyes again. "Did you say you needed something, Videl?"
Remembering then, she answered, "Oh, yes, actually, I was wondering if you knew where the…Gold Fighter was staying."
Bulma's eyes widened a bit—was Gohan expecting her? She hesitated, "He's…here. He lives here." Hearing a door open and close behind her, she spotted her son heading for the kitchen with Goten trailing. Looking over Videl's shoulder, she called out to him, "Trunks, hon—could you and Goten go get the Gold Fighter?" She stressed the name and pointed to the crime fighter before her, adding, "Videl needs to see him."
The demi-Saiyan glanced from Videl to his mother, then his eyes widened as well as realization dawned on him, "Oh…" he mouthed, then snatched Goten away, in search of the Saiyan. Bulma breathed a silent sigh of relief that the boys hadn't begun to train just yet; explaining away two mini-gold fighters was not on her list of fun things to do.
The scientist took the chance to excuse herself before the fireworks started between Gohan and Videl, professing her pressing appointment with a blanket and pillow, and left the girl to her thoughts.
Here? He lived at Capsule Corp? Videl remembered the special that had aired a few months before on the history of Capsule Corp and its owners—only the Briefs family lived there, though; there had never been any documentation of another occupant.
But then, she supposed, they wouldn't document an alien, would they? As her thoughts tended towards aliens, though, the object of them crossed the threshold into the room.
His hair was as brilliantly gold as ever, his eyes that same pale blue, his face ever expressionless. As he neared, she felt her legs get weak and slid into the chair situated behind her. He stopped a few feet from her and looked down, muscles tense.
"I guess this means…he told you." She allowed a small nod; either the Gold Fighter and Gohan had discussed Gohan's telling Videl, or he had found out by some other means that she knew the truth. "Then I also guess that this means you have some questions."
Her eyes fluttered a bit, and she awoke as if from a trance, snapping to life. "It was you, wasn't it? In the tape?"
He smiled. "So you did watch the tape?" The silence broken, he plopped onto the couch opposite Videl. "Knew you'd notice that. Very perceptive."
"Then…the man with the golden hair…" She let the comment hang in the stagnant air between them.
"My father…" he answered her unasked question. "Was my father…"
"W-was?"
"He died… in the fight."
She made a move to apologize profusely—was this why he seemed so sad at times?—but he stopped her before she could get out the words. "Just ask the questions."
She bit her lip, hesitating in order to be sure she phrased her question correctly. "What's… the truth?"
Whoa. This one threw Gohan off. Truth? Did anyone deal in that anymore?
"What is the truth—about you?" She stared into his unblinking eyes, searching for an answer, and after a moment's thought, he responded.
Pushing himself up, he lifted his shirt a bit and gently unwound the tail which had been wrapped about him like a belt, safely hidden from sight. He held it in his hands as if for show, and it took a moment for Videl to register just what she was seeing. When she did, though, a short quick gasp issued forth from her lips.
He looked down at it, then up at her. "A tail. Real." He released it, and her eyes followed the appendage as he wound and unwound it, being sure to thoroughly dispel any doubt she might have had as to its authenticity. "Saiyans are born with them, but they can be removed. Sometimes they grow back, sometimes they don't. They enhance strength, agility, and help maintain balance." He paused his explication on tails, and she looked up from it. "The truth?" He leaned over her, tall and menacing, their faces mere inches apart. "Answer me a question first." Hesitantly, she nodded, feeling suddenly very small and weak.
"Do I scare you?" he whispered softly, then leaned back to let her mull the question over.
"N-no," she replied quickly, startled.
He narrowed his eyes and turned away. "If you can't tell the truth, then why should I?"
"Wait!" She leaned forward, one hand extended. "I wasn't lying—you don't scare me." He halted. "If I felt threatened by you, if I was scared, I wouldn't have come here." Standing, she added, "In fact, I'm probably going to miss my flying lesson with Gohan by coming to see you."
Gohan gave a short ironic laugh. "You already are missing it."
"What?"
"Gohan already came by, earlier, to drop his brother off I believe. Then he left, I assume to find you."
"We—we weren't supposed to meet until ten…"
The alien shrugged and moved back towards the couch he'd recently abandoned. "You want the truth." She nodded shortly. Now they were getting somewhere. "That can encompass so much, though." He ticked off on his fingers, "You know I am not human, you know I can use energy, you now know that I was at the Cell Games, but—" he interrupted his listing. "I have a feeling that's not the type of truth you wanted from me."
She visibly stiffened. "You think I don't want to know the truth about you?"
He swiftly shifted his gaze to look at her; no, not at her, through her, with those pale, soulless eyes that penetrated into her soul and saw her motives.
"You want…" He perked up, "Gohan."
"I wa—WHAT?!"
"No, no!" He stammered, quickly glancing behind her into the entryway. "He's here, Gohan." The correction came too late, though, as all the blood had rushed to her face, flushing Videl's cheeks with a vibrant red hue.
"Guess this question session's over. We'll have to continue our talk later."
Just then the human boy bounded into the room. "Videl!"
"Y-yes?" She didn't face him just yet, still trying to stall for time to let her face cool down. Taking a deep breath, she turned. "What?"
"I—you weren't at your house."
"You were early."
"Well—" At this point the human realized who their audience was. "Were you talking to him?"
She was slightly taken aback; why was Gohan so defensive? He'd run into the room, voice panicked, when there was no indication that anything was wrong. "Yes, as a matter of fact we were." She crossed her arms stubbornly and glared at her friend, and the way he shifted his gaze to the Gold Fighter did not pass unnoticed.
"Videl," came a soft voice from behind, "I think it's time for your lesson with…Gohan." He gave her a little push in the human's direction. "We can talk later, go." He shooed her and his double away, with Videl objecting all the way to the door.
*****
"I'm not getting out."
"Videl, you're acting stup—"
"No," she interrupted violently, "You're acting stupid. Like a selfish little kid who won't let me be with anyone but him. You won't let me talk to the Gold Fighter, you won't answer my questions yourself, tell me, what can I do?"
"I said—look," he ended, exasperated, "Let's just forget what happened."
Videl's mouth fell open in shock. "'Forget it'? Gohan, this isn't something you just forget. You've got some serious issues with the Gold Fighter, it's obvious, and it's starting to affect our…" She blushed in spite of her anger, "our friendship."
"Videl…" Gohan tapered off, softening. "Videl, I just…you don't know him—"
"You won't let me know him!"
"No! I know him, I understand him in ways you can't."
"What? What don't I understand?"
He waved her off. "'There are more things on heaven and earth, Horat—'"
"Don't quote Shakespeare, answer me!" It was a good thing Gohan had brought them out into the fields around his home again; the two would have been arrested for disturbing the peace, so loud was the argument. "For once—for once give me a straight answer!" This recent attack caused a wave of tears to knock at her eyes, straining to be let out. Her blue eyes were focused on him, quivering with unleashed fury and frustration.
Gohan returned her gaze, his own eyes betraying his inner turmoil. Oh… he wanted so badly to answer her, to tell her the truth…more than ever before. His soul willed him to form the words, but still he hesitated. Never had he been so torn.
"I…Videl…" He wanted to reach out and touch her, to be sure that she was still there and that something in his world was still constant and unchanging, still there for him. "I can't tell you." The words came out, but he didn't hear them, he was far away from the mangled and choked statement, already wanting to take it back. He actually tried vainly to snatch back the words, but Videl shrunk back into the copter, eyes narrowed.
"I'm going now Gohan." She turned her eyes to face ahead so that she didn't have to look at him, his hand still outstretched like a child's. Swinging her legs back inside the jet copter, she announced calmly and clearly, "Please…please don't follow me, and don't try to see me again." Reaching up to pull the hatch shut, she added, "I won't be taking lessons from you anymore."
As she fired the engines and rose into the sky, he willed his body to move, to object, to not let her leave, but he stood there, frozen by her words, her cold words. If she had told him to stay there for all eternity, there would have been nothing he could do but stay there and obey.
She was no more than a dot in the sky before Gohan regained his faculties. Slumping to the ground, he felt waves of anguish and anger beating his body. "No…no…" It wasn't fair; it was all the Saiyan's fault! The alien was no part of him, not any longer. He was merely another obstacle for Gohan to overcome.
'It's not fair,' he repeated over and over inside his mind. The Saiyan…the Saiyan could still be with her. The Saiyan could change identities with a single burst of energy.
The Saiyan, the Saiyan, the Saiyan….he'd taken Videl. The only reason she liked him was because he fascinated her; he wasn't Gohan—or so she thought.
The gears in the human's head were turning at full-tilt. He knew, human that he was now, that he was no match for Goten and Trunks, much less a full-blooded Saiyan male. He would have to hurt him in the heart, the pride, where a Saiyan was most vulnerable.
*****
She couldn't understand it, couldn't comprehend it, couldn't fathom it. He'd been so close to telling her, but something had held him back—what?
He'd said she didn't understand the Gold Fighter like he did, that there was something else to the alien that only he knew…
"He was right…" came a soft voice from behind her, and she gasped, whipping her head around to see the Gold Fighter. "You don't know me like he knows me."
She caught her breath after the initial shock passed. "Y—you saw that?" She felt a little embarrassed that he'd seen her outburst.
"Land here. Yes, I slipped in without his noticing." Videl complied without question, and he quickly scanned the area below the copter, deeming it sufficiently devoid of prying humans. "He's going to hate me when he finds out I did this."
"A bit too late for that, don't you think?"
He gave a short nod of agreement. "Touché."
As the skids settled onto the ground, she started, "Not that I'm complaining, but why were you spying on us, and why did you scare the crap out of me just now by popping up in there?"
Instead of answering, he slid out of the craft onto the lush grass. They were far enough away from town to ensure some semblance of privacy, and a warm breeze played across the veldt. Videl followed suit, capsuling her vehicle.
Still staring out onto the plain, he stated, "It's not supposed to be this way, you know. I shouldn't even be here, talking to you."
"Why not?"
"Not natural. I shouldn't feel this way. Warriors don't." He turned to face her. "And without this feeling, I wouldn't be here."
The mask of sternness he usually wore was gone; this being was different from the one she'd talked to earlier—more …vulnerable. "Then…why are you here, if you're not supposed to be?"
A small smile crept up onto his lips, and his eyes didn't seem so empty right now. "Because…you're not afraid of me, so I want you to have something."
She cocked one eyebrow incredulously. "You want to…give me something? Just because I said I wasn't afraid of you?"
He nodded. "You don't seem to think it's a big deal, but I know from experience, it is. I couldn't give it to you before, but I think you're ready." He took a few tentative steps back, golden hair glinting in the noon-day sun. "Videl—"
"NO!" A figure streaked down from the sky above and slammed into the fighter, creating a blast of wind which knocked Videl roughly to the ground. The next moment a blur of punches and kicks erupted before her.
A loud grunt, and a fighter was knocked to the ground. "Gohan?!" In a burst of speed, though, the human was back in the fray, locked in battle with the alien again. Videl stepped back quickly once more as, this time, the Gold Fighter landed before her, panting.
'I don't know who I'm supposed to be rooting for...'
Gohan swiftly planted himself on the Gold Fighter's chest, hands at the alien's throat. "You would have destroyed me," he snarled.
"You—can't—keep—a secret—forever…" the Saiyan choked out.
Videl's eyes widened at the scene of violence. "No, Gohan! Get off him!" She flung herself at the human, who had to release the alien in order to hold her off. Grabbing her hands, he stared into her wild eyes.
"You don't know what he is…" he hissed. "I'm protecting you!"
"So was I," growled the Saiyan. "I was going to tell her." Gohan turned his malevolent stare back to his victim.
"Now who's impulsive?"
"You shouldn't have stopped me," he grunted, the human still perched on his chest. "I saw you back there. Saw how much you struggled to keep your secret. Saw you nearly break. You're too weak to handle it."
Gohan's eyes flashed, a violent storm brewing in them. "You said you wouldn't. We had an agreement. You are you, I am me. That's how it is now."
"Now? How it is now? Haven't you felt it's always been that way? You were always embarrassed, fearful of me even. Always denied me. Why? You can't control what you are, why hide it?" He flared his ki and stood to his full height, pushing the human off, who tumbled to the ground, still grasping Videl's wrists to fend her off. This was quite unnecessary now, though; she hadn't made a single movement since the two warriors had halted their physical battle and started the verbal one. "It's hard; I won't hide it. Not from her, at least. That, too, is unnatural."
His aura faded in brilliance, and the human despaired as the Saiyan's energy level plummeted. Then, as if a bright candle had been snuffed out, another Gohan stood where the Gold Fighter had been a split-second before.
"You promised…" the human whispered, defeated.
Saiyan Gohan shook his head. "No…I didn't."
*****
"But, sir, I don't understand it—how could a mere Earthling hold so much sway in this war? Why not one of the Kais, or even a demon?"
The Supreme Kai shook his head. "I don't know, it could be mere chance, though I doubt that. I suspect that it was a combination of factors which led to the birth of a pure-hearted mortal. After all, doesn't it seem fitting for a mortal to be the savior of a mortal universe?"
The pink servant shrugged. "I suppose it does make some sense…but to put that much power within the grasp of a mortal…"
"Come now, Kibito, Gohan has handled this burden very well so far—"
"So far, and now he is under Babidi's control!"
"No. He is not under the wizard's control. He can't be under his control—he has a pure heart."
Kibito sighed. "Then what do you intend to do about Babidi?"
"The South Kai has turned. The wizard now has the backing of an entire quadrant, billions upon countless billions of beings behind him, at his beck-and-call." He turned to his servant.
"You don't need to remind me sir."
"No, that's not what I'm saying, Kibito. He had all this backing, and still he sought the Kai's aid to take care of Son Gohan…This Saiyan obviously poses some considerable threat to Babidi."
"Then…" he paused in thought. "What can we do?"
"We will go to Earth and work from there. We'll be both closer to Babidi and his actions as well as able to take care of this dilemma with Gohan."
"You—you mean to take an active part in this conflict?!"
"Yes, just as we did those many years ago."
"But, sir, it was different then; shouldn't the Supreme Kai be neutral in a matter such as this?"
"Kibito, I care too much for this universe and its inhabitants to see it rendered lifeless by Buu. We will go to Earth and set things right."
The Kai's mind having been made up, the servant gave in and followed his master's will.
On Kaim's Lookout…
Piccolo's eyes shot open, and his breathing halted as sweat began to bead across his forehead. Somewhere…very near…a strange ki signature. No—it wasn't that strange…but somehow familiar. He'd felt it somewhere before, but never had a ki simply popped up; you could always feel someone approaching if you knew how to look for it.
The door to the chamber in which he had been meditating flew open, the young Guardian of Earth behind it.
"Piccolo—"
"I know, I feel it, too." He closed his eyes and tried to pinpoint it. It was even closer than he'd suspected! "In front of the temple." Mr. Popo at their heels, the Nameks fled from the inner room in search of the energy. "There are two, one much greater than the other' not human…" Piccolo continued as they rounded a corner. "They—"
The Supreme Kai smiled. Not cheerily, but with a knowing smile, surpassing all others present. The former and present guardians halted dead in their tracks, gaping at the beings they were faced with.
"Now…" began the Kai. "Which one of you would be this planet's Guardian?"
*****
"The South Kai? But…that's not possible—the Kai's can't be bought!"
"And yet he has been; he always was the most dissatisfied of the lesser-kais, envious especially of the North Kai, whose quadrant produced such great fighters as yourself, the one you call Goku, and, the one on whose behalf I have come, his son Gohan."
There was a sharp intake of breath from the elder Namek, and the god smiled. "I take it you know the boy."
Piccolo nodded stiffly. "Since he was just a little kid… he's very important to me."
"Well," the Kai continued, "apparently he is also very important to the wizard whom I spoke of, Babidi. With the aid of the South Kai, he has—"
"So that's…" Piccolo interrupted, eyes wide. "He did this to Gohan?"
"Then—you already know of the boy's situation?" There was no small amount of surprise in the god's voice. "Good, that will make this much easier."
"You're going to fix him?"
"If by 'fix' you mean return him to his normal state, I can't do that. Or, I should say, I won't."
"'Won't'?!" Dende interjected, "You're the Supreme Kai!" If this wizard is as powerful as you say he is, then we're going to need all the help we can get."
The Kai shook his head gravely. "No, Babidi's power can only be matched by Gohan. Without him, your planet doesn't stand a chance in this world. And that is precisely why he has done this to the boy. Separated in this manner, Gohan has lost both his power and will to save not only this world, but all the others in the universe. Babidi will not stop here."
"Then—why won't you do something? What good will this knowledge do us?"
"Because, I can't do anything, not without killing Gohan. If he does not want to rejoin, if both of his halves do not agree, then the process of fusing them together will destroy him."
"F—fusing them?" Piccolo queried.
"Yes, a technique perfected by the Kais. Kibito—" He turned to his servant and held out one hand expectantly. The pink being reached gently into his tunic and removed a small box, opening it and removing a pair of small earrings, a tiny ball hanging from each one. "Each half must fasten one of these on the ear opposite from the other. One on the right, one on the left. The two will immediately be drawn together and become one being—more powerful than either of the two it was formed from. It is not used very often, though, on account of its one major side effect—the fusion is permanent."
"Great…" Dende lamented. "I don't think either one will agree to rejoin. Not from what the human one was telling us."
"Yes, both the human and the Saiyan have been apart for far too long; so long, that they have ceased viewing themselves as parts of a single entity that belong together. I fear I have waited too long, but I had to at least try."
"Is he…" Piccolo began. "Is he the only one who can help?"
The god nodded. "There is no other fighter with the power to defeat Babidi's monster, Buu. If he should fail or refuse to rejoin, or if one of his halves should die…there are no second chances. It is either he or no one."
The elder Namek paused a moment, searching for a solution. "I'll speak with him. That's all we can do, since you say we cannot force them. But if that fails… what about Goku?"
"I have already considered that alternative," the Kai assured him. "But Gohan is still stronger than his father, even after all this time. He may not know it, but I have seen for myself his vast untapped reserves. Cell was nothing; all that slowed the boy down then was his immature body. It was not fully developed, and thus unable to properly channel his power, weakening him instead of helping. Now he is nearly in his prime; the time to unleash his energy and strike down Babidi once and for all is now. Goku, I'm afraid, could only buy us time, not defeat Buu."
Piccolo nodded. "Then let's hope I can convince him."
"Shall Kibito and I accompany you?"
"Not yet—I have to try him myself. If he won't listen to me, then… let's just hope he does. I'll report back soon."
*****
"Gohan?" Piccolo called into the Son home, easing the front door open after knocking. At no answer, he called, "Chichi?"
"Piccolo?" came a woman's voice from the living room. Chichi abandoned her seat in the living room to greet the rare guest. "You're looking for Gohan?" He nodded. "Well, sorry—he's still in town. He was going in to train his girlfriend today."
"Girlfriend?" The alien blushed.
"Oh yes, didn't you know?" Chichi returned, knowing fully well that Piccolo didn't and eager to tell someone all the juicy details of her son's love life. "Her name's Videl—she's Hercule's daughter."
"Poor boy…" he muttered under his breath.
"What's that?"
"I said, I need to tell—"
"You know, they get along so well together." She sighed, blocking out the fighter. "I just know they're a perfect match."
"Chichi, if the two Gohans don't—"
"And she's rich, too! Not that I think that's all she's got going for her, mind you. My boy knows how to pick 'em! And marriage for money isn't everything—Goku didn't have a penny when I married him."
"The Supreme Kai said the world will be destroyed unless—"
"Oh we have to get them together!" she chimed in excitedly.
Piccolo blinked. "Wha—? Well, yes, I know that!"
"Huh?" Chichi snapped from her romantic trance. "You do? That's wonderful! Now," she leaned forward furtively, dropping her voice to a whisper. "Next time she comes over—"
"He," the Namek corrected.
"What?" A look of confusion crossed her face. "Gohan lives here, why would we wait for him to come over?"
"But the other one doesn't—he's at Capsule Corp."
"Other one?" She blanked. "Other one what?"
"The other Gohan! The one I've been talking about for the past five minutes!"
"Wait…" she held up a hand. "I'm confused. I thought we were setting my son up with Hercule's daughter."
Both adults took a moment before registering the mix-up. "What are you talking about?" they asked simultaneously.
"Piccolo was the first to pipe up, "I'm trying to locate the two Gohans."
"The—two? Excuse me?"
Uh…oh. Great, she didn't know! Leave it to Gohan to chicken out of telling his own mother about his problem and sticking Piccolo with the task. No wonder she was acting so…Chichi-like… rather than crying her eyes out or throwing appliances at him. Now he would have to explain the problem and face her wrath.
"Chichi…you might want to sit down," he urged.
"No!" she refused stubbornly. "I want to know what in the world you're talking about with 'two Gohans.' Did something happen to my baby?"
Delicate explanations never being his strongpoint, the alien bluntly replied, "Yes."
The color drained from Chichi's face as she inched towards her chair. "Perhaps I will sit down…"
Piccolo continued. "I don't know how much—if anything—Gohan told you, but two days ago something…happened…to Gohan. His body was split into two halves: one fully human and one fully Saiyan."
Chichi, who had been blankly staring into space absorbing the impact of the explanation, sighed and rubbed her eyes. "I guess that explains why his attitude reminded me so much of Vegeta's the other day…"
"Needless to say, we soon noticed that there was more than one Gohan walking around, and since then Bulma, Dende, and I have all been searching for a way to rejoin the two halves."
She stopped rubbing and looked up. "And?"
Piccolo sighed. "The story goes much deeper than Gohan's problem. He didn't just wake up one day as two people by accident. As it turns out, he will be the determining factor in an upcoming battle, and with him like this, he is of no use."
"I wish…" Her voice was soft with anger. "I wish you'd stop treating him like he's only useful as a weapon; this is my son we're talking about, his wellbeing should come first in your mind, not whether or not he'll be able to fight!" She made herself calm down a little. "You still haven't told me if you found a solution."
He hesitated. "We…we found something…"
"Then why are you waiting?"
"It's not that—"
She cut him off. "You're telling me my son is in two bodies; let me make it simple." She stood up. "Why are you waiting?"
"Because! The only person who can change Gohan back is Gohan himself! His two halves must agree of their own free will to fuse together or his body will be destroyed, and right now they aren't exactly getting along too well."
"All you need is for them to agree to fuse?"
He nodded.
"Then…leave my boy to me…"
—End Chapter 8—
Post-Chapter Notes: Ok, it's probably totally obvious now that this is DEFINITELY an A/U. I've seen the majority of the Buu saga, and I *do* know what happens to the blob at the end. But it's my story, I can do what I want with it. So PLLBT! As always, I appreciate any constructive criticism and reviews which lift me up as a wonderful writer. Take your pick and review!